A battery composed of a polypyrrole cathode and a magnesium alloy anode—Toward a bioelectric battery

A bioelectric battery can be implanted into the human body and relies on oxygen in the internal body fluid to produce electrical energy. In this work, a battery that uses polypyrrole doped with a biological polyelectrolyte (dextran sulfate, an anti-coagulant) as the cathode and bioresorbable Mg alloy (AZ61) as the anode was developed. This battery exhibited a discharge capacity of 565 mA h g−1 in phosphate buffered saline (PBS, pH = 7.4), a commonly used electrolyte in biological research; offering a specific energy density of ∼790 W h kg−1. The electrochemical properties of the cathode, anode and battery itself were investigated in different aqueous electrolytes. Cyclic voltammetry, linear sweep voltammetry, AC impedance, galvanostatic charge/discharge, and field-emission scanning microscopy techniques were applied for characterization.

► Biocompatible polypyrrole doped with an anti-coagulant was used as a cathode.
► Bioresorbable Mg alloy was used as anode.
► A biocompatible electrolyte phosphate buffer saline was employed.
► The energy density obtained would be sufficient to power some bionic devices.